Here’s The Best Time To Apply For A Job (And Score An Interview), According To Research

If you’ve been looking for a new gig, you’ve probably been scrolling through job board after job board at all hours of the day. Landing on a posting that actually seems promising feels like a feat in itself. And when you find one, you probably think about applying to it right then and there — even if it’s at 9 p.m.

You might even think you’ll gain an edge by doing so since most people wake up to a full inbox. Unfortunately, you’re mistaken on that one. Research shows that there actually is an ideal time to apply for a job, and it’s no later than 10 a.m.

In a recent study conducted by TalentWorks, researchers analyzed a subsample of 1,610 job applications that were sent at different times and the outcomes of those applications. Their findings? Applications received after 7:30 p.m. had the lowest percent chance of scoring an interview while applications received between 6 and 10 a.m. had the highest. In this four-hour window, applicants had a 13 percent chance of getting a call back.

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Applicants’ odds of getting the interview decreased by 10 percent every half hour after 10 a.m. Thankfully, the study identified another ideal timeframe to send in your CV: lunchtime. Around 12:30 p.m., applicants’ chances of next steps increased again to 11 percent. Then, odds fell steadily until 7:30 p.m., at which point applicants’ odds of hearing back from potential employers dropped to a terrifying 3 percent.

The study emphasizes other small points, like applying within three to four days of the job posting and making sure to apply before 10 a.m. in the potential employer’s timezone.

We don’t know about you, but our minds are blown. Have we been doing the applying-to-jobs thing wrong this entire time? It definitely looks like it. Well, at least now we know.